title: Health benefits of cocoa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In modern society, cocoa is being eaten as a confectionery, contrary to its medicinal use in the past. However, since the last decade, there has been a revival of talks about cocoa's health beneficial effects. Development has been made at the molecular level recently. This review discusses the recent progresses on potential health benefits of cocoa and/or its derivatives, with a focus on the areas that have been paid little attention so far, such as the role of cocoa in immune regulation, inflammation, neuroprotection, oxidative stress, obesity, and diabetes control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thanks to the advancement in analytical technologies, the cocoa's metabolic pathways have now been properly mapped providing essential information on its roles. Cocoa helps in weight loss by improving mitochondrial biogenesis. It increases muscle glucose uptake by inserting glucose transporter 4 in skeletal muscles membrane. Because of its antioxidant properties, cocoa offers neuron protection and enhances cognition and positive mood. It lowers immunoglobulin E release in allergic responses. It can affect the immune response and bacterial growth at intestinal levels. It reduces inflammation by inhibiting nuclear factor-κB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Keeping in view the pleiotropic health benefits of cocoa, it may have the potential to be used for the prevention/treatment of allergies, cancers, oxidative injuries, inflammatory conditions, anxiety, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Dammam, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latif
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D002182:Candy; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007249:Inflammation / Q000517:prevention & control; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D063269:Mitochondrial Turnover / Q000187:drug effects; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors / Q000097:blood; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D016328:NF-kappa B; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007073:Immunoglobulin E